Throughout the book, distinctive, privately run accommodations are emphasized over chain options. This author prefers the historic and even odd over a cookie-cutter chain hotel—but you might prefer the latter, especially if you like to have a lot of room to spread out. Almost any hotel or bed-and-breakfast that touts its location in a historic adobe will have very snug rooms (usually with small windows as well).

The prices listed are the official high-season rack rates—that is, what you’d pay if you just walked in off the street, with no discounts; tax is not included. Most often, the numbers are the least expensive room for one person in one bed (a single, abbreviated s) and two people in two beds (a double, abbreviated d). High season is typically June–August and, in the mountains, the ski season January–March. Expect even higher rates during special events, such as Indian Market in Santa Fe.

Note that while many hotels tout their swimming pools, they are often forced to leave them empty because of water restrictions during severe droughts (which, these days, is nearly all the time). If you’ve booked at a hotel specifically for the pool, you might want to check the status before your trip, so you don’t wind up paying a premium for a service you can’t use. Santa Fe is usually the strictest area in the state, and it also limits hotels to changing bed linens only every third day.